Dental plates



(No Model.)

- R. J. VICTOR. APPARATUS FOR FORMING'DENTAL PLATES, &c.

No. 243,819. Patented July 5,1881

[a J o J J 3' y h .15 G e B WI TJ V ESSES I N V'EJV' TOR A Robert anew,vBy his l4tl0rneys Mim /W 0W n. PETERS. Phowulhognpher. Wauhlngfion. n.c.

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J. VICTOR, OF HUDSONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING DENTAL PLATES, 86C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,819, dated July 5,1881.

Application filed May 9, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT J. VICTOR, ofHudsondale,in the county of Carbon and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for FormingDental Plates and for other purposes, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates more especially to that class of apparatus used formaking celluloid dental plates in which the flask is closed as the heatincreases and the celluloid becomes plastic; but my improved apparatusis also applicable to cases in which the plate is formed of othermaterial and where it is to be vulcanized. V

The object of my invention is to automaticall y gradually close theflask as the temperature rises, and when the flask has been closed toautomatically stop the supply offuel to the lamp.

A further object of my invention is to maintain the desired temperaturewhen it has once been reached until the flask is closed and the supplyof fuel cut off, and where the article is being vulcanized to maintain agiven temperature for any desired length of time.

My invention further consists in certain improvements whereby a largeradiating-surface in the valcanizing-chamber is obtained, waste of heatprevented, and the general operation of the apparatus improved.

f The accompanying drawing is a vertical section through my improvedapparatus.

The vulcanizing-chamber, which is circular in shape, is formed of abody, A, having a cap, B, screwed or otherwise secured thereto, and adouble bottom consisting of the plates 0 O, which are separated by aring or strip, 0, and are firmly secured by a screw-cap, D. The bottomplates are further secured and braced by bolts 0 c.

A coil of strong copper tubing, E, is arranged within the chamber, and asteam-tight connection formed at 0 between the lower end of the tube andthe space between the bottom plates, 0 O.

Thetubing is shown as coiled spirally within the vulcanizing-chamber,but it could obviously be otherwise disposed therein.

Near the top of the flask the tubing is carried out of the vulcanizer,and its end is flanged, so as to form a face-joint with the section oftubing E, which is similarly flanged and screwthreaded, the two beingsecured together by a nut, e, in the usual manner.

The tubing E is passed into the vulcanizing-chamber through thecap-plate B, coiled horizontally therein just under the cap-plate, andthen carried out of the opposite side of the chamber at 0 A cylinder, F,is shown as formed in one piece with the cap B, but it may, of course,be made separately and suitably secured thereto. lVithin this cylinder ahollow piston-head, Gr, fits snugly, the piston or stem 9 workingthrough a suitable packing-nut, g, in the screwcap f of the cylinder.There are openings 9 in the upper end of the hollow piston-head, so thatthere is free communication between the interior thereof and thecylinder F.

A tubular bracket, H, with which the end 6 of the tubing is connected,communicates with the interior of the cylinder F, near its upper end.This bracket is provided with a cup, h, for the reception of mercury,which acts as a governor for the apparatus, and the operation of whichwill presently be described.

The vulcanizing-chamber and the parts con-,

uected therewith, above described, are suspended in and rest upon ajacket, X, as shown in the drawings, which jacket is perforated at itsbase and top to support a free combustion at the lamp Y.

The lamp is fed by a supply-tube, 3 having a'stop-cock, y, which isoperated by a lever, Z, extending to the upper part of the apparatus,where it is pivoted to a horizontal lever, J, which is pivoted to apiston or plunger, J, in the mercury-cup. Theinner end, j, of the leverJ rests in a hole, It, in the vertical plate-spring K, which is securedupon the top of the cylinder F. A collar, L, having a guide-notch, l, tocontrol the position of the spring K, is adjustably secured upon thepiston gby a set-screw.

There is a free steam-tight communication from the double bottom of thevulcanizingchamber through the tubing, tubular bracket, the cylinderF,and hollow piston-head Gr, and around the mercury-cup h.

In order to economize fuel and heat and in-- sure a prompt working ofthe apparatus, I form the body A, caps B and D, cylinder F, and bracketH of material of small conductivity, and it may also be desirable toform the tubing outside of the vulcanizing-chamber of similar material.This may be wroughtiron or whatever else may be deemed suitable.

The bottom plates, O, the hollow piston G, and the tubing within thechamber are preferably made of copper, which is of high conductivity,and consequently radiates a great amount of heat. The bottom plates arealso preferably mad e of wrou ght-copper, on account of its strength.

By coiling the tubing within the vulcanizin g-chamber a largeheat-radiatin g surface is obtained, and by the construction shownsubstantially the same degree of heat is applied to the flask O at allpoints, and uniformly good work is insured.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

' A sufficient quantity of water is poured into the tube E to fill thespace between the plates 0 G and part of the coiled tubing, if foundexpedient. The flask having been placed in the vulcanizing-chamber,immediately under the piston-head G, the cap 13 is put in place, thejoint e of the pipes screwed up, the plunger J placed in the mercury-cuph, and the end j of the lever J is caughtin the opening in the spring.The collar L is then adjusted so as to trip the spring and release thelever J at the proper moment. The steam generated by the heat of thelamp circulates through the tubing, the bracket H, (around themercury-cup h,) the cylinder F, and the hollow piston-head G. Thepressure of the steam in the hollow pistonhead forces it down upon theflask with a gradually-inereasin g pressure, so that as the heatincreases and the celluloid softens under its influence the flask isautomatically gradually closed. The required temperature for the work tobe done having been previously determined and the mercury-governorhaving been arranged for this temperature, when it is reached theexpansion of the mercury lifts the plunger and lever J, which slightlyraises the upright lever Z and partly closes the cock in the fuelsupplytube, thus preventing the work from becoming overheated. Thistemperature will be maintained by the governor until the flask iscompletely closed, when the collar I withdraws the spring K from the endof the lever J and allows the lever Z by its gravity to fall andcompletely shut OK the supply of fuel from the lamp.

The amount of heat required can readily be regulated by the quantity ofmercury in the cup h, as will be well understood, and by omitting themercury in the cup the apparatus will work with acontinuously-increasing heat until the flask is elosed, the levermechanism tripped, and the supply of fuel cut off.

When the apparatus is used for vulcanizing, the collar L is adjusted sothat it will not move the spring, and the temperature having beendetermined, the governor will maintain it as long as may be desired, andthe vulcanizing-fiask will be kept firmly closed by the pressure of thepiston-head.

By the construction above described I produce an apparatus of greatstrength and one possessing many important advantages over thoseheretofore in use. Thus in celluloid work the flask is automaticallyclosed by the gradual pressure of the steam. The apparatus thereforerequires no attention after. it has once been started; and as thepressure is constantly applied with a gradually-increasing force thereis no danger of the apparatus bein g strained, as is the case where theflask is closed by hand with a screw. Further than this, the work can bedone more rapidly, as the pressure is constantly applied and the flaskclosed and the work completed at the earliest possible moment.

It is obvious that the details of construction of my improved apparatusmay be varied in many Ways by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the spirit of my invention. For instance, instead of making thevulcanizing-ehamber with a double copper bottom, as herein described, itmight be made with a single bottom of iron, and might have theradiating-tube coiled thereon within the chamber, and thegenerating-tube outside of the bottom and just over the lamp. Inpractice it will, no doubt, be desired to incase the heating orvuleanizing chamber in a non-conducting jacket.

I am aware that it is not new to maintain a given temperature inapparatus of this kind by means of the expansion of mercury by the heatof the apparatus, and I do not,'therefore, broadly claim suchsubject-matter.

I claim as my invention 1. The herein described improvement in the artof manufacturi n g celluloid dental plates and other articles, whichconsists in closing the flask by the pressure of steam.

2. The herein-described improvementin the art of manufacturing celluloiddental plates and other articles, which consists in closing the flask bythe pressure of the steam generated in the working of the apparatus.

3. The herein-described improvement in the art of manufacturingcelluloid dental plates and other articles, which consists in automati=eally closing the flask and cutting off the fuel supply when the flaskis closed by the pressure of the steam generated in the working of theapparatus.

4. The vulcanizing or heatingchamberhere in described, constructed, inpart, of wrought iron or some other material of small conductivity, andhaving a double copper bottom, substantially as set forth.

5. The vulcanizing or heating chamber here in described, constructed, inpart, of wrought iron or some other material of small conduc tivity, incombination with a coil of copper tubin g disposed therein,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of the body ofthe vulcanizing or heating chamber, the bottom plates, the sepa rating-rin g, and the screw-cap.

7. Thecombination, substantiallyas herein set forth, of the body of thevulcanizing or heating chamber, the bottom plates, the separating-ring,the screw-cap, and the bracingscrews connecting the bottom plates.

8. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of thevulcanizing or heating chamber having the double bottom and the coppertubing disposed within the chamber and com municating with the spacebetween the bottom plates.

9. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of thevulcanizing' or heating chamber, the tubing E, disposed within thechamher, the cap-plate of the vulcanizing-chamber, the tubing E, coiledthereunder, and the joint between the tubes outside of thevulcanizingchamber.

10. The combination,substantially as herein set forth, of a vulcanizin gor heating chamber, a piston-head moving in a cylinder or steamtightvessel and extending into the chamber, and a steam-generating apparatusfor heating the chamber which communicates with the cylinder in whichthe piston works.

11. The combination, substantially as herein described, of a vulcanizing or heating chamber, a hollow piston-head working in asteam-tightcylinder and extending into the chamber, and aheating andsteam-generatingapparatus communicating with the cylinder, for thepurpose set forth. v

12. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of the heatingor vulcanizing-chamher, the tubings disposed therein,.the joint betweenthe tubin gs outside'of the chamber, the cylinder on the cap-plate ofthe chamber with which the tube E communicates, and the hollowpiston-head working within the cylinder.

13. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of the lamp, theheating or vulcanizin g chamber, the tubings disposed therein, the jointin the tubings, the cylinder, the pistonhead therein, the tubularbracket, the mercurygovernor, and the lever mechanism for partlystopping the supply of fuel to the lamp.

14. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of the lamp, theheating or vulcanizin g chamber, the tubings disposed therein andcommunicating with the mercury-governor, and the lever mechanism forpartly stopping the supply of fuel to the lamp.

15. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of the lamp, theheating or vulcanizin g chamber, the tubings disposed therein, thecylinder and piston-head, the adjustable tripping-collar on the piston,the spring, and the lever mechanism for cutting off the supply of fuelto the lamp when the flask has been closed.

16. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of the lamp, theheating or vulcanizing chamber, the steam generating and heatingapparatus, the mercury-governor, the lever mechanism which controls thefuel-supply, and mechanism for closing the flask and tripping the levermechanism to-cut off the supply of fuel when the flask is closed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 6th day ofMay, A. D. 1881.

ROBERT J. vior'on.

Witnesses R. W. VICTOR, S. W. HUnsoN.

